Riots as Indian slum dwellers object to Slumdog Millionaire

Protesters clashed with police in India on Tuesday as they objected to the
word "dog" in the award-winning film Slumdog Millionaire

A man passes a poster of the film Slumdog Millionaire in Mumbai, IndiaPhoto: AP

1:59PM GMT 27 Jan 2009

In Bihar state's capital, Patna, protesters tore down posters and ransacked a movie theatre showing the rags-to-riches tale of a Mumbai slum dweller, which won the top prize at the Screen Actors Guild awards at the weekend.

The film has also received 10 Oscar nominations.

Hundreds of protesters, mainly slum dwellers, shouted slogans saying the film's title was humiliating and must be changed for protests to end.

"Referring to people living in slums as dogs is a violation of human rights," Tateshwar Vishwakarma, a social activist said.

Police said they have deployed armed police outside theatres in the state to thwart any further attacks.

Last week, Vishwakarma filed a case against an actor, the music director and two other people associated with "Slumdog" in a local court.

The case will be heard in a Patna court on Feb 5, police said.

Meanwhile, on Monday the parents of child actors Rubina Ali and Azharuddin Ismail accused the film's producers of exploiting and underpaying the eight-year-olds, disclosing that both face uncertain futures in one of Mumbai's most squalid slums.

Rubina was paid £500 for a year's work while Azharuddin received £1,700, according to the children's parents.

However a spokesman for the film's American distributors, Fox Searchlight, disputed this saying the fees were more than three times the average annual salary an adult in their neighbourhood would receive. They would not disclose the actual sum.